Voltage regulator



March 12, 1940. c. R. HANNA VOLTAGE REGULATOR Filed Dec. 3l, 1956 Clik/0H mvENToR A? Hanna- JMJ N5, 3.

Patented Mar. 12, 1940 UNITED STATES 2.193.130 VOLTAGE nEGUnA'roa Clinton R. Hanna,

Pennsylvania.

Wilkinsburg, Pa.. assignor to d Westinghouse Electric pany, East Pittsburgh, Pa.,

& Manufacturing Coma corporation of Applicatie member s1, 193s; sei-1.1m. 118,554

` 3 claims.

My invention relates to regulators and parti.

cularly to vibratory regulators for governing an electric quantity, such as voltage, of an electric generator or circuit.

One of the objects of my invention is the provision of a regulator that is rugged in construction and possesses high current carrying capacity, that is light in weight, and that requires but a small amount of power to operate it.

Other objects of my invention include the provision of a regulator that operates at high speed and that is sensitive to slight changes in variations in the regulated quantity from its desired value.

Further objects of my invention include the provision of a regulator of the above-indicated character vhaving a magnetic structure employing a substantially fixed air gap so that the force upon the armature is independent of the position of the armature.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear from the following description of one preferred embodiment thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing. In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of a regulator constructed in accordance'with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an end view of the regulator illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the regulator illustrated in Fig. 1 with portions thereof removed;-

Fig. 4 is a circuit diagram illustrating one manner of connection of the regulator illustrated in Fig. l in a circuit to control the voltage of a generator; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the amature carrying lever.l

Referring to the drawing, a supporting panel I is provided upon which is mounted a core structure 2 comprising a winding leg 3 extending between lateral core legs 4 and 5 which are attached to it by screws 6,the core legs 4 and.5 being attached to the panel I by means of screws 1, best shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The core also includes a portion 8 attached to the leg 4 by means of screws 9 and which terminates an appreciable distance from the adjacent end of the core leg 5 to provide a space therebetween for accommodating an armature' l2 of magnetic material mounted on a lever I3 of nonmagnetic material. A movable contact member I4 is mounted upon the upper end of the lever; I3 vand is adapted to engage either theA xed contact member I5 or I3 thatare suitably mounted byV means o f brackets 1.1 and I6, respectively, to the\` panel I.

A block I9 is attached to the side of the lever I3 by means of which it is mounted on the core structure 2, the lower corner of the block I9 being beveled at 2| opposite a similar bevel 22 on the upper left portion of the core 2, as viewedin (Cl. 20o-87) Fig. 1, to permit freedom of motion of at springs 23, 24, 25 and 26, the relative positions of which are best shown in Fig. 5.

The ilatsprings 23, 24, '25 and 26 form a pivot or hinged structure for supporting the movable leverv|3 to the core 2. The springs 23 and 26 are attached at their upper end to the block I3 by means of screws .21, and at their lower end to the core leg 4 by means of screws 28, and extend substantially parallel to the direction of the lever I3. The springs 24 and 25 are attached at their left ends as viewed in Fig. 1, to the underside of the block I9 by means of screws 29 and at their opposite ends to the upper side of the core leg 4 by means of screws 9, thus forming an axis 32 along the intersection of the plane of the iiat springs 23 and 26 with the plane of flat springs 24 and 25 as viewed in Fig. 1, about which the movable structure is adapted to flex. An operating winding 33 is provided on the winding leg 3 of the core structure for energizing the magnetic circuit, and a counterweight 34 is provided at the lower end of the lever I3 to bring the center oi gravity of the movable structure to substantially coincide with the axis 32 about which it oscillates.

An adjustable helical spring 35 is provided, one end of which is attached to a bracket 36 mounted on the pannel l, and the other end of which is inserted in an eyelet 31 supported at one end of a stem 36 that extends through ank opening in the lever I3 and is laterally adjustable with respect thereto by set screws 39 and 42.

Referring to Fig. 4 the regulator illustrated in the other figures of the drawing is shown connected to regulate the voltage of a generator having an armature winding 43 connected to circuit conductors 44 and 45 and a field winding 46 connected between the junction point 41 on the conductor 44 and a -junction point 48 on the conductor 45 through a resistor 49. The movable contact'member I4 is connected to a junction point 52 between the field winding 46 and the resistor 49. The contact member I5 isrconnected to the conductor 44 and the contact member I6 is connected to the conductor 45. The regulator winding 33 is connected between the circuit conductors 44 and `45 to energize the Acore 2 in acordance with the voltage of the generator.

In the operation of the regulator, as connected to the generator in the manner illustrated in Fig. 4, the spring 35 biases the contact member I4 into engagement with the contact member I6 to shunt the resistor 43' from the field winding circuit, so that the full voltage of the generator armature 43 will be applied to the eld lwinding 46. The nuts 55 and 56 on the bracket36 are adjusted to move the stem 51 attached'to one end of the spring 35 to adjust the spring tension in accordance with the voltage that it is desired to maintain between the conductors 44 and`v45. As the voltage of the generator armature 43 builds up to this desired value, the degree of energization of the winding 33 correspondingly' spring 35 tending to move the lever I3 in a clock- Wise direction, thus moving the contact member I4 out of engagement with the contact memvber I6 and inserting the resistor 49 in series with the generator eld winding 46 to thereby decrease the energization thereof. As the energization of the field winding 46 decreases, the voltage impressed across the conductors 44 and 45 correspondingly decreases, thus decreasing the pull on the armature I2 and permitting the spring 35 to actuate the contact member I4 to again engage the contact member I6 to again shunt the resistor 49 from the field winding circuit to thereby increase the generator voltage. 'Ihe sensitivity of the regulator is such that the contact member I4 vibrates out of and into engagement with the contact member I6 at a rapid rate so that the amount of variation of the voltage between the conductors 44 and 45 from their desired value is slight.

Should the increase in the generator voltage above its desired value become suillcient to cause the pull on the armature I2 to move the contact member I4 toward the left. sumciently to envgage the contact member I5, a circuit will be closed through conductor 58, short circuiting the field winding 46 t cause a rapid decrease `in the excitation of the generator. Under such circumstances, the contact member I4 vibrates into and out of engagement with the contact member I5 instead of into and out of engagement with the contact member I6. Y

The system of mounting the lever I3, employing the crossed flat springs 23, 24, 25 and 25 provides, in eifect, a frictionless pivot for the moving structure along the axis 32 of the intersection of the plane of the vertical springs with the planeof the horizontal springs. Also, the provision for completing the magnetic circuit independently of the lever I3, so that this lever is not of magnetic material and does not formV a part of the magnetic circuit, eliminates the vertical component of force on this member that would exist were it a part of thel magnetic circuit. The elimination of this vertical component of force on the movable member enables the crossed spring piv'ot construction to support the movable member so as to hold its vertical position with greater accuracy. The double working air gap consisting of the two portions between the member 3 and the upper side of the armature I2, and the member 5 and the lower side of the armature I2, provide a sub'- stantially constant total air gap since should the amature I2 move in such manner as to decrease one portion of this working air gap it necessarilyincreases the other portion thereof.. It will, therefore, be apparent that the armature I2 moves in a constant air gap with a varying overlap betweenit and the adjoining core portions 3 and 5, so that the force exerted on the armature is constant for a constant voltage on the winding 33 and does not vary with the position of the armature I2 in theair gap. As the armature moves toward the right. or left, as

viewed in Fig. 1, the rate of change of iiux passing therethrough remains constant.

It will be noted that the amount of movement of the lever I3 carrying the contact member I4 is small and that the point of connection of the spring 35 with the eyelet 31 is substantially vertically above the axis 32, coinciding with the line of intersection of the planes of the' crossed flat springs 23 to 26, so that the pull of the spring 35 does not vary appreciably with changes in position of the lever I3 within its operative range. Should it be found desirable to do so, the eyelet 31 may be adjusted to be slightly to the left oi.' the vertical plane, passing through the pivotal axis 32 so that as the spring 35 is elongated slightly by movement of the contact member I4 toward the left, the effective leverage of the spring 35 on the lever I3 is decreased slightly to compensate for the increased tension caused by the elongation of the spring. Thus, the regulator provided is very accurate and permits quick movements of the contact member I4 in response to slight changesV in the voltagesV impressed on the winding 33.

Various modifications in the details of the apparatus illustrated and described within the spirit of my invention will appear to those skilled in the art, and I do not wish to be limited otherwise than by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim as my invention: A

1. In a relay, in combination, a core structure forming a substantially closed magnetic circuit having adjacent ends thereof terminating in parallel planes spaced apart, an armature of magnetic material mounted in said space and permanently restrained therein and having opposite parallel faces adjacent the spaced parallel-planes of the core to provide a substantially constant double working air gap between said armature and the ends of said core, relatively movable contact members for controlling an electric circuit, and means pivotally mounted at a distance from said armature and actuated by said armature for actuating said contact members.

2.. In a regulator, in combination, a core structure forming a substantially closed magnetic circuit having the adjacent ends thereof spaced apart, an armature of magnetic material movably mounted with a portion thereof in the space between the ends of said core and permanently restrained therein to provide a substantially constant double air gap therebetween having a vvariable overlap, said armature being adapted to move laterally in said space, and circuit control1ing means operatively connected to said armature and pivotally mounted on said core.

3. In a relay, in combination, a core structure providing a looped yoke having parallel spaced ends and an armature of magnetic material having uniform dimension thereacross in the direction of the gap positioned in the space between said ends, a winding for energizing said core, circuitcontrolling means comprising a contact member and a lever actuated by said armature and supporting `the armature to permit move- 'ment thereof within predetermined limits to vary the overlap in the flux path through the air gap without varying the total air gap, means 

